[Effect of ethanol on central mechanisms of appetite induced by electric stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus].

The effect of ethanol on food motivation evoked by electric stimulation of the "food center" in the hypothalamus was studied in experiments on rabbits. Intravenous injections of ethanol (0.5 g/kg) were accompanied by a short-term (up to 30 min) increase in the threshold of the hypothalamic "food center". Analysis of food motivation latency demonstrated that ethanol eliminated both inhibitory effects of the dorsal hippocamp and facilitating effects of the mesencephalic reticular formation on the excitability of the lateral hypothalamus. It is inferred that ethanol induces profound changes in monoaminergic and cholinergic mechanisms of the brain that provide for food motivation.